Rules for Health Protection - Best of tips on Protection of self health

After you wake up in the morning rinse your mouth and drink fresh water. Get up before Sunrise , get yourself free and sit down quietly and meditate. This way you will lead a cheerful day. To continue sleeping even after Sunrise is not good for health.

Take your meals before sunset: Food is digested by the heat from the Sun. While you are asleep the digestive system gets weakened. Therefore, you should not go to sleep at least before three hours after the meals during the day or at night. People from Jain community and some others take their meals before sunset.

This way food gets digested before you go to sleep. It is indeed a good practice. Eating late at night does not allow the food to be properly digested. If you have to eat late at night, take some fruits and milk. Sexual intercourse should be avoided at least for three hours after the meals. If you indulge in it before that, it upsets the stomach. Before going to sleep, offer joint prayers and worship God. Do not sleep straight on your back. During summers, wash your hands and feet with cool water before going to bed. It will induce good sleep and you will not have a nocturnal emission. You should go to bed when you feel sleepy.

Before the meals: Drink a glass of water an hour before the meals. It would be better to squeeze half a lemon in a glass of water and then drink it. Before you begin the meals take a sip of water. Also, before taking meals wash your hands, feet and face. Washing the feet stimulates the fire of the stomach which helps in digesting the food.

During the meals: Take your meals in a cheerful mood. Don't drink water during the meals. If necessary, take a sip or two. Drink water an hour after the meals. At the end of the meals take a glass of butter milk. Laugh open-heartedly after the meals, it will help in the early digestion of the food and you will not suffer from constipation. Include five basil leaves in your daily diet. Taking these regularly saves you from malaria. Milk should be taken after half an hour of the meals. Don't gorge on food. Eat a little less than your appetite. In old age digestive power weakens and you don't do much physical labour. Therefore, in old age you should eat frugal meals.

After the meals: A leisured stroll of a hundred steps after the meals helps in digesting the food properly. After the walk lie straight and breathe eight times, turn right and breathe sixteen times, then turn left and breathe thirty two times. After that you can do whatever work you have to do. Above the navel lies the seat of agni (fire, digestion), therefore, to facilitate digestion of food one should always sleep on the left side. If you keep sitting after meals it makes you lazy and dull. Sleep makes the body strong. While washing your face, fill your mouth with a draught of water, then splash water on your eyes. It improves your eyesight. Blocking your left nostril after the meals strengthens your digestive system.

Drink a little water before going to bed. Filtered water is good for health. Rest for half an hour after the meals is good because when food reaches the stomach, nature gets involved in the job of digestion and more blood starts flowing towards the stomach so that more digestive juices can be produced.

Therefore, if immediately after meals we do something that involves physical or mental exertion, take bath or indulge in sex or eat our meals immediately after the above activities, the stomach gets less blood because the flow of blood is diverted towards other parts of the body. As a result, there is lesser secretion of digestive juices and the digestive system gets weakened. Persons who are weak or have a defective digestive system should take rest or a stroll after meals.